SFJAZZ will End Month with Unconventional Duo

Natalie Cressman and Ian Faquini (from the SFJAZZ Web page for this concert)

This is a month of “themed performances” presented by SFJAZZ. The first of these is the series of Discover Jazz “classes” curated by Lead Teaching Artist and pianist Tammy L Hall, which began this past Wednesday. The following evening saw the first of five programs prepared in celebration of Women’s History Month. If all that were not enough to keep the adventurous jazz lover occupied, there will be three final offerings in the Joe Henderson Lab at the end of this month.

1. Natalie Cressman, who is both a trombonist and a vocalist versed in jazz, Brazilian music, and the Afro-Cuban tradition, will return to SFJAZZ for the first of these two programs. She will give a duo performance with Brazilian guitarist Ian Faquini, who is also a vocalist. (He also has the advantage of being able to sing while playing his instrument!) They will use the program to preview their forthcoming new album while also reminding listeners of their 2022 album Auburn Whisper.
2. The second show will be a performance by the Orrin Evans Trio. Pianist Evans will perform with Robert Hurst on bass and drummer Mark Whitfield Jr. The title of his program will be The Red Door, which is also the title of the album released by Smoke Sessions in 2023. That album was compiled from recordings he had made over the previous three years, so this is likely to be a retrospective program!
3. The third show will be presented by pianist Ethan Iverson, leading a trio whose other members are Reuben Rogers on bass and drummer Gerald Cleaver. This will be Iverson’s first visit to SFJAZZ in six years. It is unclear what to expect from this virtuosic leader, but he has entitled his program Every Note Is True (as if any of us would expect less from him)!

Connections will be given two performances, at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., respectively, on Thursday, March 28; and readers should be informed that the 7 p.m. concert is almost sold out. The Evans Trio performances will take place at the same times on Friday, March 29. The Iverson trio will give four performances on Saturday, March 30, at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., and on Sunday, March 31, at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. All tickets may be purchased online through the March Calendar Web page. The SFJAZZ Center is located at 201 Franklin Street, on the northwest corner of Fell Street.